


Scraps and Scribbles

by anthologia



Category: Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Animal Traits, Animal Transformation, Arguing, Bad Parenting, Child Neglect, Chronic Health Condition, Crying After Sex, Curses, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Espionage, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hospitalization, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury Recovery, Jealousy, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Mustaches, Pigtail-pulling, Self-Esteem Issues, Shirt Porn, Sleepovers, Teasing, Wooing, kittens!, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 9,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3847336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthologia/pseuds/anthologia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A set of Batfam ficlets that don't always have anything to do with each other, largely centering on Tim Drake.</p><p>Newest: Tim’s already pressed up as far as he can go against the backboard of his bed or else he’d retreat even further when Dick takes a few steps towards him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t act like you care.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Night is Still Young (Dick/63!Tim) [Kitten AU]

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a place to shove short things that don't really need to be fics on their own. Several of them have already been posted to syntactition@tumblr.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An AU where 63!Tim trains under Catwoman instead of Batman, and she and Nightwing have a Thing.

In the pantheon of Gotham’s criminals, Kitten is barely a blip. Not because she’s unskilled – on the contrary, Kitten is v _ery_ good at what she does – but because, compared to the kind of psychotics her city produces, one little cat burglar who hardly even causes injuries let alone fatalities barely amounts to anything.

And yet, she somehow seems to take up a disproportionate amount of the Bats’ and the Birds’ time. Or, to be more precise, _Nightwing_ ’s time.

She practically _purrs_ when she hears the familiar sound of a body landing on the rooftop behind her. “You know, I’m going to start thinking you’re not really in this for the money if you keep returning what you stole,” he says.

Kitten turns around, eyes widened in seeming innocence. “Why _Nightwing_ , that piece belongs to the public. I was just… borrowing it for a little while. I brought it back in better condition than when I found it, Scouts’ Honor.”

It’s true, actually. Tim might have paid out of pocket for a little restoration before she snuck it back into its place. She might have also made a sizable anonymous donation to the museum’s funding when she noticed the kind of shitty money they had to work with. No wonder their pieces weren’t receiving the care they deserved. _Honestly_ , didn’t anyone understand the true value of art these days? It’s part of their legacy as a _species_.

Nightwing rests his hands on her hips. “Are you sure you don’t want to just give up on this life of crime and join the side of justice officially? I could make it worth your while.” Her skin tingles where he presses a kiss to her neck.

She pretends to think about it. “A bowl of cream every day?”

Dick huffs out a laugh and curves his head down to steal a kiss from her. It hardly takes any effort for him to coax her lips apart so he can lick his way into her mouth, and she’s honestly sorry when it ends. “As much as you want.”

She ducks out of his hold and comes to a stop just out of his immediate reach, because that’s the way the game is played. Escape, chase, catch, the last one only when she feels like it. “What kind of cat would I be if I let myself be domesticated?”

She could see his smirk under the mask. “A happy one?”

Tim lets her laughter echoing behind her as she leaps away serve as her reply.


	2. This is How it Works (63!Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 63!Tim introspection written as part of a music shuffle game for Regina Spektor's "On the Radio".

Her parents kissed her on the forehead, sometimes, before leaving on their trips. Ever since she can remember, she’d been asking where they were going, why they were leaving, when she could start going with them, and they’d say _I don’t know_ or _when you’re older, maybe_ , but they’re always distracted, not really listening. Because if they were, they might hear what what she’s really asking: _tell me who I need to be to make you stay._

(But they leave. They always do.)

So she stops trying to be the daughter they want and finds something new. She figures out Batman and Robin’s secret identities, carefully documents their exploits. She watches, she studies. Sometimes – when it’s late at night and she can’t sleep and she’s just so tired of being alone – she pretends. That she’s with them in the pictures, that Bruce Wayne is her father and Dick Grayson is her best friend, and that she can help them fight crime and they love her for it.

She doesn’t tell them about those dreams, even when they become real. She has to focus, concentrate on being the Robin they _need_ so they won’t decide she’s unworthy. She meets other teenage heroes, and they tease her about her work ethic but they do it so easily, don’t they? Friends, family, it’s like they have this gravitational pull that Tim never learned how to create. She _tries_ , she puts on the Robin mantle, and it has a pull of its own because Robin will always be able to make friends with other teenage heroes, be a leader; as long as she’s wearing the mask, she’s okay. But Timothea Drake is a vacuum, so she becomes adept at finding the empty spaces in other people and shaping herself to fit them. If you cannot make people love you, the next best thing you can do is make them need you. Batman needs a Robin. Dick needs a little sister. Jack Drake needs a daughter he can relate to. And if none of these people are quite _her_ , the Tim Drake that started down this path, well. They wouldn’t like her, anyway.

It doesn’t hurt. It’s just the way the world works.


	3. Morning Routines (Dick/Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick is either a method actor or a troll. Either way, Tim's probably going to get the short end of the stick.

All he wants is coffee. Sweet, sweet coffee. Someone replaced the mugs on the highest shelf in the cabinet because he lives with hateful people who would do anything to see him suffer, and he’s _just_ about to grab the handle of his favorite cup when Dick reaches around and takes it for him while simultaneously pushing down on Tim’s shoulder.

Dick cheerfully fills it from the pot and hands it over with a kiss on the cheek. “Stretching like that isn’t good for your back injury.”

Tim narrows his eyes. Is this… a coded message? Did someone somehow sneak cameras into the kitchen? No, that wasn’t even possible. “My… back injury.”

“Mm-hmm.” Dick is pulling out a chair for him.

Tim feels like maybe something important slipped past him. “You… you do understand that’s not real, right?”

“Of course. Sit down for a while, you have physical therapy today, and you don’t want to be too tired to work from the start.” He guides Tim into the chair and gives him another kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Tim is left wondering if there’s something he missed.


	4. Whiskers on Kittens (Dick/63!Tim) [Kitten AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightwing is good with kittens. It's a thing.

With the amount of time she spends running into Nightwing, it’s really no surprise that he’s been witness to a few of her less proud moments. Moments like botched heists, stupid mistakes, and unscheduled acts of humanitarianism for a few stray cats.

She’s tempted to pretend he’s not there at all when he touches down, because she’s sitting on the ground with three kittens in her lap, and there is absolutely _no_ way this can ever be spun in a way that doesn’t ruin her reputation as a criminal. Not even _haha, I stole these kittens from their rightful owner!_

Basically: she’s screwed. Nightwing is just _grinning_ down at her and she has no defenses. “You’re adorable,” he says.

The best she can do is attempt to maintain her dignity in the face of great adversity. One of the kittens is climbing her arm. “I hate you, go away,” she says, but _dignified_.

Instead of being put off by her clever retort, he sits down next to her, tugging off his gloves so he can pet the cats. “Sorry, did I interrupt your badass mysterious cat burglar time?” One of the kittens climbs into his lap, and she hisses _traitor_ at it.

If the hero’s arrived, they don’t need her anymore. Tim detaches the remaining two animals from where they’re clinging to her suit and stands. “Well, it looks like you’ve got the situation well in hand. Just take them to a shelter or something.”

Nightwing hooks an ankle around her leg to get her off-balance. “Nope. I found stray kittens, I’m keeping them. _All_ of them,” he adds while pointedly grabbing hold of her hand and tugging her into his lap, kittens scattering around them to get out of the way.

“Good luck taking care of all of them,” she says. Nightwing just smirks at her and rests his hand on the back of her neck, his thumb rubbing an area where she tends to get knots. And all right, it does feel really good and she might coincidentally lose the urge to fight with him at right around the same time. She _swears_ she wasn’t this tactile before she started training under Catwoman.

“I’ve learned some tricks,” he says, annoyingly smug.

One of the kittens bites his finger. “Good boy,” she tells it lazily, too comfortable to move.


	5. Lights Will Guide You Home (Dick & Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's really dead, isn't he."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playing the music shuffle prompt game. This one is for "Fix You" by Coldplay.

“He’s really dead, isn’t he.”

He drops the bag on the floor of the Cave that contains Red Robin suit. He doesn’t need it anymore. What’s the point? He only took it up because he had to prove Bruce was alive. 

Damian is Robin, now. Tim Drake is… nothing.

Dick’s at one of the computers and he’s not wearing the cowl, but Tim thinks he sees a little Batman in the set to his face when he turns around. Harsh and uncompromising, but strong enough to lean on. And then it melts, and it’s all Dick Grayson from there. “Where have you _been_?” 

“Making a fool of myself.” Tim manages a few steps forward before his legs just won’t carry him anymore. He’s not sure when the last time he slept was. A few days ago, maybe. Definitely too long for someone recovering from an emergency splenectomy. “Dick, I… I was _so sure_ he was alive.”

“I know.” 

Dick kneels on the floor in front of him, and for once Tim is the one to move first, pitching forward until he’s resting his head on Dick’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do now.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Dick wraps his arms around Tim and just holds him there for several minutes. Tim thinks he should be crying or having some great breakdown – his adoptive father is _dead_ – but he just feels… numb. Overwhelmed. Lost. Dick rearranges them so he can pull Tim to his feet. “Come on. Let’s just get you to bed for now.”

Tim follows.


	6. Catch & Release (Dick/63!Tim) [Kitten AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitten has Nightwing's back. That's good, cause he has hers right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Falling For Ya" from Teen Beach Movie popped up on my MP3 player when I was doing a music shuffle prompt thing. I regret nothing, especially not having that soundtrack on my MP3 player.

She should have said no on day one. Kept their relationship strictly professional and adversarial like the usual vigilante/criminal dynamic. Sure, Selina never managed it, but Tim’s never felt the need to get caught up in a mess just because her mentor did. But she just _had_ to stupidly give in to that stupid crush she had as a stupid kid on Dick Grayson, and now she’s doing stupid things like jumping into his fights to even the odds out a little.

A collapsible bo staff doesn’t fit the costume as thematically well as Selina’s cat o’ nine tails, but it’s easier to tuck away and she’s better with it. Kitten extends it and makes quick work of the few jerks who brought guns to a hand-to-hand fight, knocking their weapons out of the way and stunning them badly enough that she’s sure they won’t be getting up any time soon. Nightwing hasn’t even noticed her yet, or at least hasn’t made a sign that he has. He can easily handle whoever’s left, so she decides to forgo reaping the rewards of virtue in favor of heading back to the apartment for a catnap before tackling anything else.

Except that, just as she’s about to make a jump from this rooftop to the next, some asshole throws a knife at her. She realizes, immediately, that twisting to avoid getting hit by it is a mistake because it throws off her balance. Instead of landing solidly on the roof, she goes into free-fall. Her grapple was damaged earlier tonight, which leaves her with the main option of trying to hit something on the way down so the landing won’t hurt her as bad. Tim aims herself at a balcony and is doing her best to brace for impact when a blur of blue and black slams into her at an angle and brings them to a much less painful landing on a lower roof.

Nightwing doesn’t let go of her immediately, which is just as well since she’s not sure she has her balance just yet. She still does her best to extract herself from his hold as soon as she can, just on the principle of the thing, but he’s determined to keep some body part attached to her. The best she can manage is to get him to switch from a full-body hug to an arm over her shoulders.

“If you make a joke about cats landing on their feet, I’m going to scratch you,” she warns him.

He grins down at her. “Thanks for the warning. So was it my imagination, or were there a few less people to fight than I counted?”

“Must have miscounted,” she says blandly, although she’s not sure why. Virtue may be its own reward, but _rewards_ are pretty good rewards, too, and Nightwing is _very_ good about rewarding positive behavior. Maybe it’s just that having him free of bullet holes is enough for tonight.

Kitten doesn’t wear much in the way of heels with her working uniform because she never got the hang of the kind of stunts Selina can manage in them, so she has to go up on tiptoes a little to kiss him properly. He deepens it immediately, kissing her like he’s afraid she’s going to disappear, and she’s _so_ tempted to just keep it up and see where the night leads. They both have some leftover adrenaline to burn after the fight and her near-fall, and that’s always a lot of fun.

But. She has things to do, people to see. Kitten pulls away reluctantly and flashes him a smile. “Thanks for the catch, but I’m a busy girl. We’ll finish this later.”

Before she can quite extract herself, he grabs hold of her wrist and brings her closer to kiss her again. He’s the one to pull away first this time, which is good, because she’s not so sure she’d have the willpower to. “I’ll hold you to that.”


	7. Primary Colors (63!Tim/Kon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 63!Tim likes screwing with Kon. Kon likes seeing her in his colors. It works for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what took me so long to get to Kon/Tim.
> 
> 63!Tim totally spent the majority of their Young Justice days pulling Kon's metaphorical pigtails. She can't help it, okay, he just made it so /easy/.

It started more or less innocently. Tim just happened to pull a shirt on and noticed that it was just the right shade of blue as the Super uniform, so she dug a red bracelet out of the depths of her drawers and put that on to see what it would look like. She didn’t even think Kon noticed that first time, at least until she caught his eyes straying to where the sleeve of the blue shirt almost met the red bracelet on her wrist.

 _Huh_ , she thought, and left it at that. For a few days.

The next time, she wore the shirt with a red skirt. It’s casual enough, comfortable and not really what she would consider a particularly sexy combination, but it felt like every time she glanced at Kon, he was staring at her.

Well. Wasn’t _that_ interesting.

Tim starts pairing up those colors in her wardrobe for the next few weeks she visits the Titans Tower. Once, it’s just nail polish alternated blue and red. Another, it’s a breezy red dress with a blue jacket. Kon still hasn’t said anything about it, but he’s _definitely_ noticed. Tim’s actually starting to think he might need some lessons in scoping out people more subtly. It’s a good thing he doesn’t have to go undercover often; he’d be caught in a second if this is the same technique he uses to look over potential threats.

It ends with that same blue shirt she’d first started with. Kon’s been staring at her all day, getting increasingly frustrated until he finally corners her after a team dinner, crowding her up against the wall. If this was anyone _but_ Kon, she might feel threatened.

“Where is it?” he hisses out.

Tim blinks up at him, as if she can’t imagine what he could possibly be talking about. “Where’s what?”

“ _Rob_.” His hand squeezes her hip almost hard enough to leave a bruise. “I thought we were done with this.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“ _You_. Messing with my head.” He lets out a frustrated groan. “You’ve been wearing red and blue _somewhere_ every single time I see you. Now you’re just wearing blue.”

Tim has to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back a smirk. “So out of curiosity, have you developed a compulsion I should be worried about or do you just _really_ like seeing me in your colors?”

“ _Tim_.”

“Calm down.” Tim presses a kiss to his cheek before deliberately tugging her jeans down just far enough that he can see the red panties under it. “Happy now?”

(In hindsight, she’s pretty sure he was.)


	8. Feline Sartorial Thievery (Dick/63!Tim) [Kitten AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're wearing my shirt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt request based on my headcanon that Tim is an unrepentant shirt stealer. Takes place at some point in the vague future of the Kitten AU.

The shirt’s not quite huge enough to really be considered a dress on her, but the bottom hem pools down at her thighs low enough to give a vague sense of modesty. Not that she’s really concerned with modesty, the way she has her leg slung carelessly over the back of the couch she’s lying on with her head pillowed up at one of the ends. It’s _comfortable_ , go judge someone else.

She doesn’t bother to look up when she hears Dick fumbling with the locks to his apartment door. it’s not like she broke in, because it’s not really breaking in when she has an implied invitation to his place, is it? He even offered to give her a key once. Not that she needed it, because when did she ever need a key to get into places? _Please_. Still, it was a nice thought, even if it was mostly out of concern for the continued functioning of his security system.

It takes Dick about five seconds to spot her, drop everything he was carrying and stalk over to her with an almost predatory gleam in his eye.  “You’re wearing my shirt.”

Tim licks her finger before turning the page in her book. The gesture isn’t necessary in the slightest, but she’s watching him out of the corner of her eye and it’s _fun_. “Oh, please. You have five of these shirts, and all of them are from the same stupid Bludhaven police events.”

“You misunderstood,” he says before climbing on the couch with her and settling between her conveniently already spread legs. Her book is summarily plucked out of her hands. “You’re _wearing my shirt_.”

 _Oh_. Well. She hadn’t actually planned on this specifically, but Tim’s not one to turn down a good thing when it’s inching a hand up her leg. “Is that a problem?”

“I don’t know.” He ducks his head to mouth at one of her nipples through the cloth of the shirt. By the time he lets go, there’s a distinctly damp patch on it and a smirk on his face that promises all sorts of fun things are about to happen. “I may need some time to think about it.”


	9. Welcome Home (Kon/Bart/63!Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon and Bart were dead. Now they're not. Tim's a little lost somewhere in between.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could be considered same 'verse as the Kon/63!Tim ficlet.

She has them back. _She has them back_. Tim thinks part of her is still in shock, because Bart and Kon were _dead_ , and now they’re not. They’re standing in front of her, starting to look a little concerned because she’s been staring at them wordlessly for almost a minute now.

Bart’s the first one to step forward. “Tim? Are you – “ _Okay_ , he doesn’t get to finish saying, because Tim suddenly surges forward and kisses him _hard_ , like he’s going to disappear if she doesn’t. And then she turns and does the same thing to Kon.

“Good to see you, too,” Kon says with a breathless little laugh in his voice, but Tim can’t stop now, because if she slows down she’ll start to wonder if this is actually real, if it’s just some kind of dream, and she _needs_ it to be real. So she grabs a handful of his shirt and almost rips it off him instead, dropping her head down to get her mouth on some of the skin she revealed. “Not that I have a problem with where this is going, but can you maybe use some words?”

“You were _dead_ ,” she says _,_ sounding pathetic and lost and she _hates_ it. “Both of you. You were dead, and I was never going to see either of you again.”

Bart presses up against her back, half-hugging her from behind. “We’re here now, Tim. We’re not going anywhere. We’re right here.”

“I know. I just – “ She shudders a little when she feels Kon wrap his TTK around them both. It’s not enough. “Just make me believe it.”


	10. Final Thoughts (Tim & Dick)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the angst sentence line prompt "I have three months to live".
> 
> Content warning for some discussion/implication of suicidal thoughts.

“I have three months to live. Give or take.” Tim ducks his head, a little sardonic grin on his lips. “I’m aware that it sounds like the plot twist to a bad soap opera. I’ve made my peace with it – both the needless drama and the dying part.” He glances at something off to the right, off-screen. “I made my peace with dying a while ago, to a frankly unhealthy degree. I’m actually surprised we never talked about it, there were… There was something that happened that I thought M’gann would have told you about. I guess she had her own problems at the time.” He shakes his head very slightly. “It doesn’t matter.”

The image jumps a little. Erased time. The Tim on the screen is wearing the same shirt, but he’s thinner, more tired. “You asked me, when Ra’s threw me out the window, how I knew you’d come for me. And I told you – it was because you’re my brother. But I didn’t _know_. And I just wanted to tell you that… I’d know. This time. If this was something you could catch me on.”

One more time skip. Tim’s smiling at the camera, like there’s a very old joke somewhere in this. “There’ll be some files with this video clip, stuff I never added to the system. Hopefully I’ll have it all wrapped up by the time I… you know.” The smile falls off his face. “Dick. I just, I wanted – I wanted to tell you. I _loved_ having you as a brother. And ever since, since I went looking for you… I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I just.” He swipes at his eyes viciously with the back of his hand. “I love you. And. Goodbye.”


	11. Vigilante's Best Friend (Dick & Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What he means is that Dick’s mind seems to think he’s a dog,” Oracle says from the computers, voice filter off so Tim can hear every decibel of her rich amusement. Oh, she’s definitely recording everything that’s happening for later blackmail purposes.

He barely has any warning. There’s just a shriek of _TIMMY!!!_ and then suddenly Tim is buried under 170+ pounds of over-excited crimefighter. 

“Oh my god you’re _here!_ You weren’t here but now you are, _Tim!_ ” Dick says, loudly and directly into Tim’s _ear._ He thinks he might have just gone a little bit deaf.

Tim glances over at where Bruce is sitting at a computer, looking stoic and totally unconcerned by the fact that his oldest is molesting his youngest Robin. “Is he high?”

“I would _never_ ,” Dick says, wide-eyed and hurt, and Tim feels inexplicably like he just insulted a puppy. “Why would you even _think_ that, I’m a good boy!”

“Dick is… experiencing some species confusion,” Bruce says calmly.

Tim glares at Bruce. His older brother just pounced him onto the floor and keeps trying to shove his face against Tim’s neck, and Bruce has the nerve to start giving cryptic explanations? “What does that even mean?”

“What he means is that Dick’s mind seems to think he’s a dog,” Oracle says from the computers, voice filter off so Tim can hear every decibel of her rich amusement. Oh, she’s _definitely_ recording everything that’s happening for later blackmail purposes. 

“Babs!” At the sound of her talking, Dick’s head perks up, and his eyes dart around the room excitedly, apparently expecting to find her hiding behind the equipment or something. When he doesn’t see her, he droops, completely devastated.

“He’s done that every time,” Bruce says. Tim thinks he might be detecting a hint of exasperation in the man’s deadpan. “Dick.” Dick’s head jerks up again. Apparently, all it took to make him forget about his disappointment is someone saying his name. “I have everything I need from you here. Why don’t you go play with Tim upstairs?”

“Oh my god that is the _best_ idea Bruce _Bruce_ you have the best ideas, _oh my god_ ,” Dick says, and before Tim can even make a sound in protest, he’s grabbed, hauled over Dick’s shoulder, and carried towards the exit. Tim barely has time to cast the most betrayed stare he can muster at Bruce because they’re supposed to be partners, Bruce, _partners!_

Bruce makes a mental note to get Tim a new gadget or something as an apology and settles in to enjoy his coffee in the blissful silence of his Cave.


	12. Manly Man Man-ness (Tim/Steph)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: manly hug + Tim & Steph.

“Are you wearing a mustache?” 

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

Tim pauses, in case Steph decides she wants to explain this on her own, but nothing is forthcoming. “Why?”

“Because you need a manly hug right now, and it completes my masculine image. Now come over here.” 

He is really not sure when his life got to the point where his girlfriend dons fake facial hair and proclaims he needs more masculine bonding in his life, but he’s not sure he _wants_ to know. He’d actually kind of like to just pretend this isn’t happening at all, but Stephanie is glaring at him manfully, so he takes a few hesitant steps closer.

“Okay.” She clasps her hand on his shoulder. “Tim. Man. I love you, man. In a manful way.” She gives him quite possibly the most awkward hug he has ever received, and all he can think is why? _Why?_

When she lets go, she immediately gives him a thumbs up. “Okay, good talk.” Then she turns on her heel and jumps off the roof, leaving him to wonder what just happened on his own.

Just. _Why?_


	13. Laying Down the Law (Tim + cat)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim Drake talks to cats. Pass it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for a meme prompt, “I think we need to talk.”

“I think we need to talk. No, don’t give me those eyes. You know what this is about. _I said don’t give me those eyes_. God, I can’t _talk_ to you when you get like this.” Tim crosses his arms and glares down at the cat that had showed up on his doorstep a few days ago and somehow managed to worm its way into his apartment.  It stares up at him innocently before purring and twisting its way around his ankles. It is really undermining his authority, and he does not appreciate it one bit. 

“Look.” He picks up the cat and thrusts it in the direction of the fish tank. The lid has somehow, mysteriously, managed to slide off the top, and there is a distinct lack of _his fish_. He liked those fish. He named one of them Spock. Spock is gone, and his childhood is _crying_. “I don’t know how you did it, but I swear to God, I will kick you out.”

The cat purrs again, smugly content in the knowledge that it has pretty thoroughly claimed this apartment if not its occupants. Tim narrows his eyes. 

“You’re going to force me to get pathetic fake fish so you can’t eat them, aren’t you.” It wriggles out of his arms, lands neatly on the bench of the piano and starts grooming itself. “I know you think this is over, but it’s not. We are going to continue this conversation. It will be happening. The only reason I’m letting this slide for now is because Tam expects me at a meeting in twenty minutes. But we are _not okay_. I just want you to understand that.”

He stomps out the door. The cat glances up for a second before going back to its grooming.


	14. Focusing Issues (Kon/63!Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day that Tim hit puberty is a day that Kon fervently hates and adores, in pretty much equal measure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Temptation, 63!Tim.

The day that Tim hit puberty is a day that Kon fervently hates and adores, in pretty much equal measure. Loves for, well, obvious reasons, but hates because ever since the day she sat down with him and cheerfully poked a giant hole in the assumption that all the Robins were male, he quickly learned that she does not fight _fair_ with her looks. At all. Ever. And okay, he was a stupid idiot back in their Young Justice days, and he kind of deserved every time she ever teased him for his hormones being on total overdrive. (Although he maintains that her Ms. Sarcastic get-up was totally over the line, because what, what even _was_ that. There were _fishnets_. Kon looks back on that identity with equal parts second-hand embarrassment and annoyingly persistent boners.) 

But. _But._ Tim is an actual menace to his health and wellbeing, and she takes a special kind of evil joy in making him as uncomfortable as possible when they’re undercover together. She probably thinks of it as training, like it’ll make him a better superhero or something if he can focus even when she’s being as distracting as freaking possible. What it _actually_ does is make him frustrated to the point where he finally snaps on a mission, grabs her, and takes her to a private(ish) area so he can get his hands on her before he goes completely insane.

She tilts her head at him in a way that could almost be called innocent if he didn’t know better than that. “Problem, Kon?”

“Nope.” He gets his hands on her ass and lifts her up. She obligingly wraps her legs around him and loops her arms around his neck. “Not anymore.”


	15. For Your Eyes Only (Tim/Damian)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is spies, the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Would you ever write something about Damian and Tim exclusively? Whether it be romantic or very reluctant bromance? Like word prompt: Objective? Where when they have a goal in mind Damian and Tim are almost scary with how well they work together?

Absolutely no one could have predicted this. When Damian al Ghul was talked into helping the Agency, it was understood that he would not to be forced into working with Tim Drake except in cases of absolute emergency. It was in their files. Multiple times. Sometimes underlined. 

All of this went out the window when Agent Grayson missed two check-ins in a row. Officially, retrieving him was Tim’s job, but Damian refused to be left out of the mission. They returned to the Agency three days later with Dick in tow and a completely changed set of rules. Even when they’re not paired up on missions, they always seem to find each other. Tim shows up at Damian’s desk with some intelligence analysis that he happened to come up with in his spare time, or Damian will use his downtime to shadow Tim in the field. 

Still, as sudden and confusing as the switch is, no one’s going to complain, particularly since Director Wayne realized that the two are _terrifyingly_ good together when they’re cooperating. On their first officially sanctioned mission together, they present a case on their target, a budding terrorist organization, that is so airtight and tidy that Bruce is a little surprised they didn’t actually wrap it up and stick a bow on it.

No one actually asks, even though the question has definitely gone through pretty much everyone’s mind at least once. What _changed_?

 

(Tim’s in the middle of a routine surveillance – nothing interesting so far, just the boring life of a shockingly boring arms dealer – when Damian lets himself into the car. He doesn’t bother looking up from the laptop streaming audio from the bugs he planted until Damian lets out a huff and _makes_ him, grabs him by the back of the neck and kisses him hard.

Tim’s panting slightly when Damian lets him go, but he still works up a crooked smirk. “Did you miss me?”

“Tt. Hardly. I merely thought you might enjoy a more… _pleasant_ diversion.”

“Well,” Tim says, setting the computer aside so he can straddle Damian’s lap instead. “I could be convinced.”)


	16. Something There (Damian/Tim)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lately, it seems that Damian has been experiencing… difficulty expressing himself. Around Drake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt: tongue-tied, DamiTim

Lately, it seems that Damian has been experiencing… _difficulty_ expressing himself. Around Drake. It’s ridiculous, and he can only imagine how the Damian Wayne of even a few months ago would have scoffed at his current predicament. It’s not as if he’d ever had a problem telling T– _Drake_ exactly what he’d thought previously. 

To top it off, Grayson has been giving him _looks_ , particularly when Drake is in the room with them. It’s irritating enough that Damian finally snaps at him, “Do you have a _problem_?”

Confusingly, Grayson just grins at him and slings an arm over his shoulders. “Nothing, Little D. I was just thinking, puberty’s hitting you kinda hard, huh?”

Damian stiffens under the touch. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” Grayson ruffles his hair briefly and neatly dodges the swing Damian reflexively takes at him. He chooses to make an intelligent retreat at this point, but not before he can call over his shoulder, “Just remember, I’m around to talk to if you need it.”

Correction: Damian is having difficulty speaking around Drake, and Grayson is suffering from repetitive head injury syndrome. Damian narrows his eyes as he thinks for a moment before heading to the kitchen. Maybe Pennyworth will have some insight.


	17. Be My Robin? (Tim/Jason)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason has a proposal for Tim! It goes well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt: Tim and Jason, not wearing that

“Nope.”

“C’mon, Babybird. It’ll be fun.” 

Jason pouts exaggeratedly, and Tim rolls his eyes. “One: this isn’t really a costume idea so much as déjà vu. Two: the last time you asked me that, using those exact words, you stabbed me with a batarang because I said no. Three: maybe I have my own costume ideas.”

“Okay, first off, I thought we agreed that we don’t talk about That Time.”

“That wasn’t so much me agreeing as you yelling it until you’d decided you’d won by right of being the loudest.”

“I’m not seeing the problem.” Jason grabs hold of Tim (who is just _trying_ to live his life like a normal person Jason _please_ ) and reels him in until he’s smooshed up against Jason’s side. “Do you need a whole giant proposal thing? Because I could. Fair warning: if I do that, I will be getting Roy involved, and you will need safety goggles.”

Tim tells himself very firmly that he’s just not going to ask. It’s not worth it. “The issue isn’t the presentation, it’s the question.”

“What if we just do it for a few hours? You could come out with me and then change and go to whatever else.” Jason abruptly lets Tim go and drops to one knee. “Be my Robin for Halloween.” 

He’s holding out a tiny Robin pin like it’s an engagement ring or something and oh _god_ why. Tim lets out a breath slowly. 

“…Fine. But only for a couple hours.”


	18. Pillow Talk (Tim/Kon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s so stupid. One minute, he’s basking in the endorphin glow of orgasm, the next there’s a prickle of something behind his eyes.

It’s so stupid. One minute, he’s basking in the endorphin glow of orgasm, the next there’s a prickle of something behind his eyes. For a second, he just thinks – no, no, _no_ , but it’s like he lost any ability to control himself at some point. The best he can manage is to keep quiet as possible, but fat lot of good that does him when his bed partner is a Super.

“Tim? Are you – did I hurt you? Oh _fuck_ , I hurt you, didn’t I?” 

Kon is staring at him with this heartbroken look like he just realized he’d kicked every puppy in the world, and all Tim can do is shake his head frantically. “ _No!_ No, I’m – I’m fine, I don’t know why…” Why he apparently can’t stop crying. Maybe his tear ducts are broken. Is that a thing? Do tear ducts break?

“O-kay.” Kon scrambles upright on the bed to see him better, and Tim guesses from the way his eyes go hazy for a second that he’s confirming that Tim’s telling the truth. He’s _not_ hurt, he’s just… _something_. “Can I… do anything? Water? I could get you water. Or, um… I don’t know, man. I don’t really know what I’m doing right now.”

Tim lets out a shaky laugh-sob. “You mean your partners don’t _always_ break out in irrational tears after sex? I’m _shocked_.” Kon laughs at that, albeit weakly, but he’s still staring at Tim with that worried-panicked look in his eyes. “I’m fine, Kon. I promise. I’m happy. I’m not having sudden regrets or anything, I’m not hurt, I’m just… “ 

“Okay. Let me just…” There’s a brief blur of motion and air, and then there’s a tissue box and a water bottle next to the bed, the liquid inside still sloshing wildly from the speed at which it had traveled. Then Kon lies back down, pressed up against Tim’s back, and drapes an arm over him, holding him securely in place. “It’s cool, Tim. I’m not going anywhere.”

Tim relaxes cautiously back into the hold. It feels nice, even if Tim doesn’t need comforting because there’s nothing _wrong_. And if Kon’s declaration actually _does_ make him feel a tiny bit emotional, well, Tim doesn’t have to admit it to anyone.


	19. Need-to-Know (Dick & Tim)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I wish you would write a fic where someone, preferably Nightwing overreacts to Tim both not having a spleen and not telling anyone that he does not have a spleen, please.

“You didn’t think this was information your family should know?!”

Tim winces. _This_. This is exactly why he didn’t tell anyone about his splenectomy. He knew, he just _knew_ someone was going to overreact. (Well. This, and he had a few more important things to take care of when it happened, like bringing their time-displaced father back from the not-quite-death.) “It just never came up.”

“ _It never came_ – “ Dick inhales sharply and stops, re-orients himself. “Tim. Little brother. That is – this is _critical_ information. If you got hurt and we didn’t know – Christ, if you got _sick_ and we didn’t know, you could’ve gone into a coma or died before we even knew anything was wrong. Do you understand that?”

Tim crosses his arms. “The lifetime risk of OPSI is about 5% – “

“Stop. Just… _stop_.” Dick grabs hold of Tim’s shoulders, gripping a little too tight. “The risk could be five-millionths of a percent and it would be too high for us not to know. How do you even – we get hurt _all the time_. Did you just decide to ignore the risk of infection, too?”

“I have it handled.” Tim tries to step back, but Dick refuses to let go of him. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. _Tim_. It’s not fine.”

“I have things to do, Dick. Let go of me.”

After a second, Dick releases him. “This conversation isn’t over.”

“It is now,” Tim says, and leaves.


	20. Escape Artist (Tim, Bruce, Damian & Wally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I wish you would write a fic where tim was in the hospital but kept escaping from his room. so batman has to call the fuCKING FLASH to chase Timmy every time he escapes cause he keeps doing it. again and again.

Being in the hospital as Tim Drake-Wayne is the _worst_. Even if Leslie and hospital security are very good about keeping his treatment private, whenever he ventures online, there’s about fifty new messages speculating about how he’s feeling, how long he’ll be here, and if he was _really_ in a car accident or if Bruce sent him to a private rehab because of a stress breakdown. On top of that, there’s people checking on him every fifteen minutes, so even if he wanted to rest, he wouldn’t be getting it _here_.

The first time he sneaks out of bed, he manages an hour of blissful alone time before Bruce finds him stashed away in a closet, playing Panda Jam. He pauses the current game and grins up at him innocently. “Hey, B. Did you need something?”

The second time, he’s only out for forty minutes before Damian storms up to him in the emergency roof exit stairwell and informs him that, if he does not return to his bed _right now_ , Damian will render him unconscious and drag Tim there himself.

The third time, he only manages ten minutes before a red-and-yellow blur of motion picks him up and deposits him back in his bed. Tim reaches up to his forehead and pulls off a post-it note decorated with the Flash symbol that just says “STAY.”

Out of curiosity, he tries slipping out again. This time, he only lasts four minutes. Wally tapes a note to his arm that says “I swear to God, kid, I’ve fought criminals that try to escape less often than you do.”

He doesn’t even manage to get his foot down on the ground after that. He _tries_ , and the next thing he knows he’s been aggressively tucked back into bed so tightly that he can barely move his arms.

Maybe he should try napping again.


	21. Try, Try Again (63!Tim/Damian)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic prompt: I wish you would write a fic where 63!Tim seduces Dick or Jason, or a fic where an aged up Damian wants 63!Tim and tries to woo her.

Their lives are crazy. Tim has been aware of, and accepted, that ever since she first put on the mask. So Damian coming back from patrol considerably taller and older and more _adult_ than he left is not actually the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to them. Consultations with the various magic users the family has ties with have so far only told them that he was changed by magic and no one’s sure just yet how to reverse it. For now, Damian is twenty, and that’s just how it is. Tim can deal with that. Probably.

It would be much easier to deal with if he wasn’t around her quite so much. He keeps showing up and… _doing_ things for her, for no reason. Handing her a bottle of water during a workout. Bringing her a snack when she hits hour three of an intense information-gathering session. Grabbing something off a high shelf in the kitchen for her at breakfast. 

That last one, at least, she can understand as a way of showing off that his superior al Ghul and Wayne genes have caused him to more than surpass her in height, but the rest are… inscrutable. She can’t think of any possible motive he could have, and it’s sort of driving her crazy.

But now, _now_ he pops up in the middle of her patrol route and inserts himself into a fight with some run-of-the-mill low-level thugs, and she is _done_. She grabs him and drags him to a rooftop the second the opportunity presents itself. “What are you _doing?_ ”

“I was helping,” he says, stiffly. 

“I didn’t need help,” she snaps. “I had it completely under control.” _And you knew that_ , she doesn’t bother to say out loud. “What is this _really_ about?”

The way he’s standing is… there’s something vaguely uncomfortable and… she doesn’t want to say _vulnerable_ , but somewhere in that vicinity – about it. She can’t imagine _why_. “I simply wished to help.”

She snorts. “Oh, please. You hate me. You’ve made that extremely clear.”

“I was wrong,” he says abruptly. “The way I have treated you is – appalling and uncalled for. I should never have… I’m sorry.”

And. _Oh._ That’s… definitely unexpected. “Why?”

Something like pain flickers across his face. “Because I do not wish to hurt you any longer, and I never should have. It was wrong.”

 _Huh_. “Okay.”

He frowns. “…’Okay’? That was all you required?”

“Sure, why not?” Tim shrugs. “I mean, you’re going to go back to being eleven and hating me soon enough. What difference does it make? So, temporary do-over.” She sticks her hand out. “I’m Tim Drake.”

Instead of shaking it like she expected, he takes hold of her hand and presses a kiss to it. “Damian Wayne. I’m… pleased to meet you.”


	22. Blood Ties (Tim/Damian)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tim/Damian, bite.

“Beloved.” Damian’s gaze darkens, and Tim represses a reflexive shiver. No matter what you are to him, Damian looking at you like that is never a good sign. Still, despite the danger in his voice, Damian’s fingers against his neck are gentle. “Tell me this is not what I think it is.”

“What’s – “ Tim cuts himself off with a gasp when Damian presses a thumb against the mark on his skin. “Oh. That’s. Yeah. Your grandfather says hi.”

“I will make him pay.” Damian replaces his fingers with his mouth, and Tim’s eyes flutter shut. “He won’t be able to touch you again.”

“No arguments here, I – “ Tim shudders all over when Damian’s teeth break through his skin. It should be painful and terrifying, but instead there’s a rush of chemical calm making him boneless and pliant. Damian keeps him upright easily, bracing Tim against the wall while he drinks his fill. 

It doesn’t last as long as usual, but Tim’s still half-dizzy when Damian pulls his mouth away and guides him to the couch. The lip of a bottle nudges against his lips, and he drinks automatically from the offered juice. When Damian judges Tim’s had enough, he sets the bottle aside and tilts Tim’s head up so he can see him better. Tim’s gaze is still a little hazy, but Damian’s is bright and focused. “How do you feel?”

“Give me a couple hours and a nap, I’ll be fine.” Tim waves a hand at Damian vaguely. “Go be the night. Knock ‘em dead.”

For a terrifying creature of the underworld, Damian has a startlingly human-looking bad joke wince. “That was… not in good taste.”

“Oh, please. You _love_ how I taste.”

“ _Timothy_ ,” Damian hisses.

Tim hooks an arm around Damian’s neck and reels him down for a kiss. (He forgot about the blood-taste still lingering on Damian’s lips, but still. Worth it.)

When Tim lets go, Damian shakes his head at him, exasperated but fond. “I’ll return soon.”

Tim stretches out on the couch and gets comfy, still watching Damian through half-closed eyes. “I’m counting on it.”


	23. World's Finest (63!Tim/63!Kon)

So, Supergirl.

She’s…

She has potential. She has the power and the drive to do good. She was, quite literally, bred for it. She’s _young_ , but then so’s Tim, so she can’t exactly judge anyone on that quality. It’s just that… Supergirl is…

…kind of a horn dog?

At first, Tim thought it was afteraffects from Ivy’s toxins, but no, apparently Supergirl is just really that flirty. With everyone. Or with girls she deems attractive, anyway, and Robin, apparently, counts 1000% in that category. When they get together with Impulse to defeat Bedlam, it’s like the nightmare exam of management skills, trying to get Impulse to focus for more than .01 seconds while also having to work around Supergirl’s cheesy lines.

When Tim tentatively broaches the topic of a sleepover with Bruce and he expresses concern about having a _mixed-gender_ sleepover with _Impulse_ , she can barely hold back the hysterical laughter long enough to deliver a speech pointing out how ridiculous it is that Batman trusts her with Gotham’s criminals but can’t trust her to be responsible overnight. She’s not sure if that or the point she made about not being sure Impulse has even figured out there’s any significant differences between girls and boys yet was more helpful to her cause. In the end, the greatest detective in the world let himself be distracted from the actual primary danger to Tim’s virtue just because that person happens to be female. She’s a little disappointed in him.

Anyway, the point is, Supergirl. Tim’s not totally sure going on a sleepover with her was a great idea, but here she is. And once Impulse settles down long enough to start snoring away, Tim’s not even a little bit surprised that Supergirl starts tapping Tim on the shoulder to get her attention. “Yo, Rob.”

“What?” 

Supergirl waggles her eyebrows. “I hear there’s a pool in this place. Wanna go find it and test it out?”

Tim opens her mouth to say no, absolutely not, but a part of her that she is not even a tiny bit proud of points out that turning down a chance to see Supergirl skinny-dipping would make her the biggest idiot in a hundred-mile radius. “I… okay, fine.” She’ll probably regret this.

Eventually.


	24. Green-eyed Monsters (63!Tim/63!Kon, Arrowette)

Tim isn’t mad that Supergirl’s been fawning over Arrowette. She’s _not_. Tim is a mature, independent person who is not even _slightly_ irritated that Supergirl’s barely even looked at her since Arrowette showed up in their med bay, and – 

Oh, who is she kidding. Green-eyed jealousy monster, party of one. It doesn’t help that Arrowette notices she’s been glaring daggers through the lenses of her mask and wants to _talk_.

“Are we… okay? I know I’m really more Impulse’s friend, and I sort of crashed into your team…”

Tim forces a smile. “It’s fine. We’re fine. How’s your arm feeling?” 

“Still twinges a little.” Arrowette shrugs up the other shoulder uncomfortably. “I just feel like maybe you don’t like me? And if there’s anything I could do about that…”

“Well, you could wear a little more,” Tim says, and oh _wow_ , it’s like she drops into another flow of time entirely where she hears every awful syllable of that sentence come out of her mouth in excruciatingly slow motion but can’t do anything to stop it. Arrowette flinches back, hurt, so Tim fumbles on as quickly as she can. “I meant – you have a lot of exposed skin. People like Wonder Girl and Supergirl can get away with that because they have invulnerability, but we’re human and you don’t have anything protecting a bunch of really key areas.” 

“Oh.” 

Tim sighs. “I’m sorry. Let’s start over. I don’t have any problems with you, and you’re welcome on this team. I don’t know you very well, but I’d like that to change.”

“Okay.” Arrowette gives her a slightly weak smile before she starts heading for the door. “Thanks. That’s… good to know.” 

Once she’s out of sight, Tim sighs and slumps against the wall. _Stupid_. She needs to get this under control before she takes it out on anyone else.


	25. You Don't Have to Know the Language (63!Tim/Kon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt tongue-tied + 63!Tim/Kon

Magic is terrible and awful and Tim hates everything about it right now.

“How’re you feeling?” Conner sits on the couch next to her and settles his arm around her shoulder. Rather than acknowledge his presence, she chooses to keep glaring resolutely at the window. 

He sighs and kisses the top of her head. “It’ll wear off. Zachary said a few days at most, right?”

She presses her lips together thinly and nods. 

“Oh, uh, Ma said to tell you you’re welcome at the farm if you want to hang out there while you wait. Well, any time, pretty much, but.”

“External projection sings habit – “ Her mouth snaps shut, and she goes back to glaring at nothing in particular.

“Or we could sit here and play charades,” he says, and she elbows him none-too-softly in the side. “Okay, I get it. Hanging around the Tower the whole time is gonna get pretty boring, though. If you come to Smallville, you’d get to eat Ma’s cooking, and I promise Krypto doesn’t care what you say as long as you’re willing to play with him.” He smirks. “Plus, I bet we could come up with some stuff to do that doesn’t require talking.”

Despite her snort, she considers it. Getting away might be nice. People have been pushing her to take a break lately, and she guesses now’s as good a time as any. And getting away from Rose’s snide remarks could only be a bonus. Finally, she gives a shrug and a nod because why not? 

Conner grins. “Cool. I’ll tell Ma. You can just tell me whenever you’re ready to go, okay?” She nods again to let him know she understands, and he kisses her before stepping out to call Mrs. Kent. 

This might, _might_ not be a completely terrible weekend. 

She still hates magic, though.


	26. Good Intentions (Tim/Kon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice." Wound up being set in a universe where Tim's spinal injury wasn't fake.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything? You’re not thirsty? I could go get you some water – “

Tim sighs and shakes his head for what feels like the millionth time. “It’s fine, Conner. _I’m_ fine.”

“You’re _sure_? Because – ”

And Tim just. _Snaps_. Because Conner’s staring at him with these – ugh, these e _yes_ , like Tim’s made of glass, and he can’t – he just c _an’t_. “Oh my god, stop it! Just. _Stop_.”

And now Conner’s eyes look _hurt_ in addition to worried, and that’s not exactly _better_. “…Tim?”

“I can’t – “ Tim grabs his crutches, struggling a little to stand up, but he just can’t sit still anymore. Conner holds out a hand like he wants to help, and Tim risks his balance to shove it away. “ _This!_ I can’t deal with this on top of everything else! _You_ , trying to help all the time and looking at me like – “ He sucks in a breath. “Like I’m _broken_. I’m _not_.”

“God, of course you’re not,” Conner says, and it sounds like he _believes_ it, too, which is why it’s so much more frustrating when Tim feels a tendril of TTK reaching out and steadying his crutches.

Maybe it’s unfair to be pissed off about that. Maybe using his TTK to help was reflexive. Maybe Tim doesn’t _care_ right now, because he’s tired and in pain and still has to go to physical therapy later and he’s _Red Robin_ , damn it, he can handle all that but he can’t handle his boyfriend treating him like he _can’t_. “You know what, why don’t you go check in with the Titans while I work on these case files on my own.”

Meaning: _I need some time by myself_. Meaning: _get the hell out of my apartment_.

“Are you – “ Conner starts to say, then stops when it occurs to him that _maybe_ Tim doesn’t want to hear the words _are you sure_ again right now. “…Okay. Uh, I’ll keep an ear out. If you…”

Tim purses his lips. “I’ll call if I need you.”

“Okay.” Conner hesitates for a moment, like he’s not sure if he’s allowed to touch Tim or not, and settles for reaching out and squeezing Tim’s shoulder lightly. “I’ll see you later.”

With a brief rush of displaced air, he’s gone. Tim sighs and sits down at his computer again, briefly considering something to take the edge off the pain crawling down his spine before deciding that the fuzzy-headedness isn’t worth it. He’ll just finish working on these case files first, then he’ll re-evaluate. Maybe call Babs and finally take her up on her offer to talk. _After._


	27. Crisis Point (Tim & Dick)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "please don't do this, don't act like you care" for Tim & Dick

“Tim – “

“Don’t!” Tim hisses out. He’s already pressed up as far as he can go against the backboard of his bed or else he’d retreat even further when Dick takes a few steps towards him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t act like you _care_.”

“I _do_ care.” Dick gets a couple more steps closer – careful, Tim notices, to still give him some room. “I just want to help you.”

“You think I’m crazy.”

“I think you need help,” Dick counters evenly. Even Tim has to admit it’s a good answer. Diplomatic, if insincere. “You’re not thinking straight right now.”

“I know exactly what I’m thinking!” His thoughts may be tumbling over themselves at a mile a minute, but they’re also clear and bright. They make _sense_. “You just want to put me somewhere to get me out of the way.”

“I don’t want to put you anywhere. I just want you to be safe. Okay? Please, Tim.” Dick’s still moving, inching along like Tim won’t notice if he moves slowly enough. “Just let me help.”

Tim opens his mouth to tell Dick to just go _fuck himself_ when Dick suddenly darts forward the last couple feet and grabs hold of Tim’s wrists, pinching the nerves there until his hands go numb and limp. The knife he’d been holding up like a shield against the world tumbles from his grasp.

“Now, Dami!”

Damian darts into the room, wielding a hypodermic that he sinks into Tim’s arm. The contents are quick-acting, his anger and betrayal melting away along with his ability to stay conscious. He blinks up at Dick stupidly, who tries to smile down at him and lets go of his wrists in favor of stroking Tim’s hair back away from his face.

“Let’s take a blood sample once we get him settled in,” Dick says, sounding very close and very far away at the same time. “If this was Crane, we need to know what compound he’s using.”

“ _If_ this was Crane?” Damian asks. “What else would it be?”

Dick is quiet for long enough that Tim’s only barely conscious and not entirely sure he’s not dreaming by the time he speaks. “…Let’s just get that blood sample, okay?”


End file.
